Family reunites for Mothers Day1:22

It?s the first time all four generations have celebrated Mother?s Day together.

May 13th 2017

2 years ago

/video/video.news.com.au/News/

Kate Vines made the devastating decision to send Paul away when he was seven. Picture: SuppliedSource:Supplied

KATE Vines was diagnosed with medullary thyroid cancer in 1991.

Her son Paul was just five years old when doctors identified the rare disease, and when they operated they found it had spread into her lymph nodes and chest.

“There was a time when my prognosis was very poor, and they thought I wouldn’t be around to bring him up,” she told news.com.au frankly.

She and Paul’s father had drifted apart, and together they decided it would be best for Kate to live alone with their son while she focused on her health.

However, her condition deteriorated, and within two years she said she was no longer well enough to look after him and give him the attention he needed.

She made the heartbreaking decision to send him away to live with his father.

“That was the most difficult, devastating decision I’ve ever made, but I felt it was better for him to have a part-time mother than no mother at all,” she said.

Due to the rare nature of her cancer, there were limited treatments available.

She told news.com.au she tried “all kinds of crazy things” — including a treatment in Mexico that caused her to lose 15 kilograms and “turn bright orange”.

Kate Vines is celebrating mother’s day with her son Paul and granddaughter Clare.Source:Supplied

“I wouldn’t recommend it,” she laughed. “I was so sick I couldn’t get out of bed. It was so hard it made everything after that seem easy.”

When her health started to stabilise, she decided she would feel better in the country. She moved to Bowral, in the state’s Southern Highlands, and set up a charity called Rare Cancers Australia with her husband Richard.

Modern medicine is still yet to find a solution to her disease, but over time, she’s learnt to live with it. In her own words, she’s “quite well” — even though she has growths in her lungs, liver and soft tissue, and a lesion in her brain.

“My long term goal was always just to see (Paul) reach his 21st, and now he’s married and I have a beautiful granddaughter as well,” she said.

She told news.com.au she’s celebrating her first Mother’s Day as a grandmother with Paul, his wife Natasha and baby Clare at a local winery.

“Twenty-six years down the track from my first diagnosis, family is truly the most important thing. Every day counts,” she said.

According to a survey by delivery company Go People, about quarter of people between the ages of 25 and 44 say they don’t visit their mums as often as they should.

The company has delivered a lot of flowers and gifts this weekend, however, the survey revealed the vast majority of mothers simply want to see their kids.

That’s why they paid for Samantha Cook to see her family this Mother’s Day.

From left: Anita, Samantha and baby Stella are reunited for Mother’s Day.Source:Supplied

The first-time mum travelled with baby Stella from Coffs Harbour, on the New South Wales north coast, to surprise her mum and grandma in Sydney.

It’s the first time all four generations have celebrated Mother’s Day together.

However, Samantha’s induction to motherhood hasn’t been easy.

In the late stages of her pregnancy, she went to hospital suffering nausea, hot flushes and dizziness, and was sent home and simply told to rest.

When she returned a week later, her blood pressure was so high doctors were forced to induce labour, bringing her daughter into the world two and a half weeks early.

Stella was diagnosed with severe jaundice shortly after birth, and a few days later Samantha was given emergency treatment for pre-eclampsia.

“I was in hospital for two weeks,” she told news.com.au.

“My husband said ‘It nearly killed you, we’re not doing that again’. I agree, and I’ve always wanted to have a girl so I’m happy!”

It’s the first time all four generations have celebrated Mother’s Day together.Source:Supplied

Samantha said she couldn’t have done it without her mum, Julia.

“She was pretty good with keeping me calm, and not getting worked up about anything. I could ask her questions about what it was like when she had me.”

She can’t remember the last time she visited her mum on Mother’s Day, but she told news.com.au Stella’s arrival has given her a whole new appreciation of the importance of the day and all the things her mum has done for her.

Go People paid for her flights and accommodation, as well as flowers and a hamper.

“Our research shows how important it is to be around family on Mother’s Day, and how tough it can sometimes be to make that happen,” said CEO Wayne Wang.

“We were honoured to help make Samantha’s first Mother’s Day one to remember, and help deliver the perfect gift to her family.”